Travelling with Terrible Buses

A recent report said The Shwedagon Pagoda is the most checked-in places of all on Facebook in Myanmar. When you head to the golden pagoda ordinarily, one easy route is to take no. 204 bus line, along with privately owned shiny new SUVs on the road. Almost all the buses of that line are quite old and rusty with some windows that don’t move up and down. Interiors are replaced by local untidy decorations. You'll hear a lot of bangs and clunks and two rows of wooden benches are sometimes shaking when the bus turns left or right. Double stack of long CNG tubes are under these benches, but there's never been reported any danger resulting from sitting above them! 

At rush hours, buses are overcrowded and it's the right of the bus conductor to put in as many passengers standing on the middle rows as he likes. Until a few years ago, old war-time buses like no. 39, 61 were running along Yangon's streets. Hilux models dating back as far back as the 80s in faded condition were only recently replaced by mini-bus lines like no. 3, 54, 38, 33, and then some.

With these new changes, and along with new year comes a new bus line in Yangon known as Evergreen linking the route from North Dagon to Downtown, according to a daily newspaper. One thing they added is that the bus fare is only to be paid via electronic card system known as iPay. Since around 2011, these iPay cards are announced and set up to be used on buses, and soon these slots seem out of service, out of wire on the door stand of the buses. No one uses, perhaps no one even learns how to use. This new bus line is trying a new strategy and it'll need some time to pursue people to get used to it.

 
Surprisingly, a 204-line bus driver was once overheard by me as saying he hoped that one day our city buses would be like those from foreign countries like Singapore. I heard that two years ago, still not much changing now; his own bus line might be one of the worst conditions of all, I guess. Easy and comfortable transport system is a must to attract tourists and I hope a day when a local or foreigner will travel by bus in Yangon without sitting in frighteningly shaking wooden seats should be foreseeable in a few years.

The Country's Most Dangerous Vehicle

'Jakarta is a city of motorcycles,' I still remembered what a friend from Indonesia once said. Others would also argue that in Singapore and Malaysia, motorcyclists deliver parcels or food to specific clients. What about Yangon?

In Yangon however for some reasons motorcycles have been prohibited though you can see several motorbike carriers in suburbs like North Okkalapa and Shwepyithar, calling for passengers informally day and night. In many other cities including Nay Pyi Taw, you can easily hire a motorcycle and visit some places—and these vehicles are legal with registered licenses. And Mandalay is even a Myanmar city of motorcycles, one can be sure.

Recent ease of restriction for registering motorcycle and driver license cause a great surge in the  number of motorcycles in every towns and villages. Opening markets for cheap Chinese brand motorcycles cost just 300 to 500 thousand Kyats to own one. Jie Gao, a Chinese town nearest to Mu-se in northern Shan State, is a hub for motorcycle resellers from Myanmar, displaying several varieties in spaces as large as a football pitch. Also, whenever you are on short trip or driving highway, you will surely see small huts behind one or two stands of red or white 1 liter bottles inside which are petrol for any motorcycles. Cheap and easy to fill fuel for your motorbike anywhere.

One sad news about increasing number of motorcycles everywhere across Myanmar is countless accidents involving either two motorcycles or one motorcycle with pedestrians or other vehicles, and death is inevitable in many occasions. In my hometown also these news have prevailed for some years. I recently even saw an early morning accident between a young student driving her motorbike and a bicycle in front of my home.

The difference between driving a motorbike and other vehicles is the experience you could enjoy. The other day I played two games on my Android device. One is car racing and the other game is a hyper-speed motorbike rushing shoulders with driving cars. It's quite easy to control and avoid danger when you're driving a car than a motorbike. Surely, It feels like so much exciting to collect points, but you will crash motorcycles in many more competitions than car games, however exciting it is to play. It can even raise your stress hormones level. The scenario might also be the same, needless to say, in real life.

These days, when you are on the street, even if you follow traffic rules it cannot be guaranteed that a rushing motorcyclist would not head straight to you in its uncontrollable speed. Who knows that might be a trend of danger? And reckless motorcyclists, including those from far-flung areas, are mostly those who know no knowledge of traffic rules. That leads me to wonder how some friends of mine from station or township hospitals are handling with such rising accidents. Statistical death toll from motorcycle accidents might be at a frightening level, I'm afraid to reckon.

Some good news is that there has been some news of taking measures for illegal motorcycles in some cities which at least will halt accidents in that area presumably for some time. Self-discipline and taking care for one's own danger is critical, however trivial your riding out may be. And avoiding competition on the road with other vehicles and giving ways to other people won't cost you more than a minute's delay to your destination, but it can say a lot on ensuring your safety on the road. Ease of travel should not mean a vehicle for racing at all. Hopefully when there's standardized driving practice among the public, some day one can see a parcel-delivering motorbikes in the cities like Yangon too.

Outing Around Butaryone Street

A worker in unexciting blue uniform hastily is pushing two red-and-white iron barricades with the force of all his muscles. He's manually blocking the junction on either side of a double-lane railway line moments before the train is passing through the junction. In the past, a nearby Ywar Ma junction even has one of its gates so smaller than the width of the newly paved concrete road that an additional rusted iron rod is fastened at the edge of the gate in order for commuters not to pass the railroad in danger of imminent train accident. Once the gates are reopened manually by the worker, cars, tricycles, bicycles and crowds of people rushed shoulder to shoulder crossing towards the other side.

That's the view of the busy evening at Butaryone Street, Hlaing Township, around six miles north of downtown Yangon. It's a bit unsettling to see such a view of most junctions between motor roads and railroads intercepted like this in Yangon. Without Skytrain or advanced Mass Rapid Transport, some rare overhead bridges are present only in few areas like Kyaukyedwin, Narnataw, Bayint Naung and Hledan.  

Butaryone (Rail Station) Street has got bus stations in its own name, referring to nearby Kamaryut Station. There are many bus stations in Yangon widely claiming the names of nearby public places, like Sardike, Kyaung-shay, Butaryone, etc. Butaryone street stretches from Yangon-Insein road, crossing Baho Road, and links with Bayintnaung Road just close to Yangon Riverbank. It would take about 40 minutes to stroll along the street from one end to another.

A decade before, I visited a friend living near Butaryone station, and thought that the place is so faraway from downtown. Now it seems like a citycentre itself, with so many shops, buildings and unyielding traffic jams. Many new 5- to 7-storey buildings and several ongoing construction sites nearby. Even ABC convenience stores open four of its chain stores along the Road, so also other stores like CityExpress, Grab&Go, and many other family businesses. Teashops proudly displaying a huge red Coca-Cola fridge up front are mostly crowded and entertain customers with popular Skynet TV drama series, and during weekends, Premier League matches on a medium LCD. Two huge public markets including a well-known Hlaing Bazaar even block the Road especially at rush hours, let alone several smaller hawkers selling on spanning wide lanes. Many small businesses include mobile phone shops, beauty parlors, those selling construction tools, clothes, shoes, rice and groceries, beauty products, and food & drinks.

One bad thing to go around Butaryone Street is in rainy season when the road is flooded in some parts near Baho Road not far from railway lines. I could still remember I had to pass through knee-level water with soaked trouses and an umbrella in most evening after a few hours of afternoon rain. There were usually shallow water at the center of tar mac but don't think of going along there as many vehicles were also competing to take those threaded areas.

Via Bayintnaung Road, several bus lines exist, including number 34, 39, 44, 333, and then some. You can directly go to Kabaraye, Dnyingone, Myinigone, Shwedagon, Tarmway, Sulay, Botahtaung, everywhere via this main road. Many more jam-packed bus lines are moving to and fro along Insein Road near the junction with Butaryone Street. Howerver there is only one bus line 204 goes through Baho Road but it also passes Hledan, Sanchaung, Shwedagon, Bogyoke Market, etc. At the time of huge traffic jam on either side Butaryone Street, you'll see unusual buses, hiluxes, minibuses also coming into this Baho Road as the drivers couldn't resist a long wait at traffic blocks perhaps on Bayintnaung Road.

Until midnight, there can be heard shallow sirens of cargo or passenger ships travelling along nearby Hlaing River commonly known as Yangon River on the other side of Bayintnaung Road, or sirens of trains, and loud hums of car engines continuously passing along the road. Only a few hours of sound sleep at midnight and around 4 am you'll start to hear the beginning journey of public trains for vegetables sellers, followed by voices of alms donation to a row of monks at dawn; There are two famous monasteries Ywar Ma Monastery and Chaung Wa Monastery although it's not sure if the monks are from these famous monasteries or other smaller kyaung-tikes. Then at the first rays of sunlight, several hawkers will loudly sell sticky rice, boiled peas, breakfast snacks, flowers, and school ferries also hailing for students to come along. That's the beginning of another day's rustling scene for Butaryone Street, a worth-visiting showcase for modern Yangon.

Connecting The Brands

1)
At first, I don't know why one of my old friends and I have never had the same taste for some of the popular brands though we usually like the same types of gadgets. He mostly chooses acer, lenovo, hp, htc, etc. What I've given priority includes MSI (the logo was in capital letters at first, later changed to current small characters), Samsung, LiteOn, NEC, etc.

Finally we came to a conclusion that what he liked are those with small-letter brands, and what I liked included brands in capital characters.

2)
Is there any strong statistical significance on picking your favourites partly based on the looks of their branding to be related to any of your personality? I'm not sure. Maybe it has, in some aspect, I guessed.

3)
It was my accidental encounter with SAMSUNG as my father bought an analog satellite receiver back in the 90s; then a netbook, later an LCD display, a phone, an external hard disk, all being that brand. I now could even hardly forget that according to a recent study, the Korean firm is holding 30.3 percent share of the global smartphone market in 2012!

4)
I'm sometimes doubtful if my taste for some favourite things had its roots on childhood experience with global brands. Some data collection might be needed to compile another story on personalized preference on abstract articles like brands.


Further info: If you want to read more about themes like this, let me share you to read one of my favourite authors Malcolm Gladwell. Even Popular Bookstores had run out of his bestsellers!

Why Bookmarks Are Essential

For a home with some medium-sized bookshelves, it's a must to have small or large bookmarks. A bookmark is defined as a strip of material inserted between the pages of a book to mark a place in it. Bookmarks provide users a way to remember the important data of interest in a thick book of repeating keywords and similar titles.

     For most traditional people, however, bookmarks are just pieces of rubbish. In my eldest uncle's opinion, strips of card-box paper or other flaps perform only as well as those without it, because he easily folded the corner of the page he liked to remember. Since childhood I could never convince him to use bookmarks instead. What we did not recognize is that with time, you may lose these folded corners in natural wear and tear.

     When it comes to reading on my own, I use a lot of cut pieces of some thick papers to slip among the pages to mark the important information that I hope to use in the future. An occasional problem with me is that I know the data I'm searching for is in that specific book, but it's hard for me to find it instantly where and which page number, and sometimes it's a headache to look for your known data in an unknown manner. So now whenever I buy a new book, I first put 2 to 3 bookmark pieces attached at the back of the book.

     In digital era, you'll see bookmarks in your Mozilla or Chrome browsers, to list your favourite websites and view with ease later again. MS Word or PDF viewers have also bookmarks to mark your favorite texts or pages, only identifying them for future reference or retrieval. Still when you install or uninstall programs your bookmarks can get lost.

     Bookmarks are essential tools, and some companies even imprint their brands in beautiful papers serving also as bookmarks or smaller postcards. Some bookshops give these bookmark cards as their promotional gifts on special events. For me, bookmarks are also lifetime memories.

The City That Rises

A European man was seemingly excited consulting with a hotel staff in the uppermost story of an elegant hotel near Su-Le, downtown Yangon before checking out. He was apparently scheduling to tour the second largest city of Myanmar. It’s Mandalay the royal palace with an amazing diversity that can surely be changing fast.

     That change I myself witnessed a week later. It's no wonder you just took an eight-hour private drive from Yangon to Mandalay of around 600 kilometers, thanks to the new concrete hi-way linking the two cities. And even luxury buses are changing plans to transport passengers. Formerly they left Mandalay in late evening and arrived at the capital at the crack of dawn. Now you can leave Mandalay in the morning and reached Yangon well before dark. New entrance ways to Mandalay also emerge, passing near Ta-da-oo international airport and dome-like Sagaing Bridge.

     Near the traffic points at the junction of Mandalay hi-way terminal, straight north and on the right, there’s a sign of green background & white words, that reads Rice Brokers, Kywae-sae-kan, Mandalay, that stands between Kywae-sae-kan Streets 1 through 9. At the corner of Street 5, I sat at a popular teashop branch Unison, gleaming at the city that’s rising as different as last year. All were bustling streets at rush hours. New United Amara & Kambawza banks sat close to Yoma Bank on 78th hi-way Street. A big teashop chain Manmyodaw dumpling was seen crowded, with superb service. Shiny new SUVs are going to and fro; fast running LiteAce trucks hurrying with pilgrims or students; cargo lorries carrying loads of goods like packages of batteries, noodles, onions, heading towards downtown shops and department stores.

     In fact, Mandalay is a vast area and I’m only having a look around Kywe-se-kan and passengers terminal, which will be moved to more remote location soon, leaving the current areas more like midtown. One thing I felt uncomfortable is public transport with city buses and endangering hilux buses, among cramming motorbikes and bicycles in dusty daylight. Another uneasy look was the long queue of motorbikes for petrol quota.

     Some three new online cafés around the bus station are found to be offering services not falling short of those from Yangon. Trade in booming Mandalay includes restaurant, online and gaming services, real estate, banking and transfer of finance, etc. In an internet café I even had to queue some 15 minutes to get online.

     The European man I encountered at the Yangon hotel would take a delight in riding tricycles or bikes in busy Mandalay as for his new experience. However as for me, the next time my visit to the famous Maha Myat Muni Image, I suspect I’ll be able to take a seat along systematic public transport buses viewing more new roads and online cafes all around.

Beauty and the Beach

In a new area where you've never touched down before, and if there are lots of restaurants similar in appearance, you'll surely be indecisive to pick up a decent one for your lunch, without a local's recommendation. That's what I've experienced in Chaung Thar, one of the most beautiful beaches along the Bay of Bengal, to the west of Yangon.

     After one-hour drive from Pathein along the hilly two-way express route mounting from the Ayeyarwaddy Delta, there appeared a group of coconut trees in sight. As soon as our group arrived at Chaung Thar, we came across countless of hotels including Golden Beach, Oasis, AMBO, etc. Finally we'd decided to settle at AMBO, just beside the sea shore. Along the wide sandy beach lined by stalls selling coconut drinks, seafood, palm hats, crafts and pictures featuring sea creatures, and many more.

     For lunch, we had to choose a restaurant in random; the service is bad, with no green tea, no hot rice, no extra dishes like traditional nga-pi and vegetables. For dinner, we were advised by a local to dine at Hla Bo, on the way to a low-profile bus compound, and it's great offering all the above criteria, and the price is also reasonable, let alone hospitable services.

     In fact, I've never been to any beach in Myanmar. The sea under the blue sky and the astounding sunset at Chaung Thar is very beautiful, rimmed by shallow tides on which everyone visiting enjoys to surf. You just cost around K8000 to visit Chaung Thar from Yangon with express buses via Pathein. Most of them take about 6 hours of drive, halting for tea at Nyaung Tone and Pathein a while. The scenery in Chaung Thar exemplifies a Myanmar's exquisite tropical resort, comparable with no more than a few dozens all over the world.

     Photos taken at Chaung Thar are all bluish grey in print; that's what makes the beach stand out and the natural beauty beats all the other ones, indeed. That can be seen all along the lengthy sea shore of many kilometres, and also at nearby place Kyauk Maung-hna-ma, meaning the rock brother and sister, where tiny rocks and huge boulders line the beach near a stupa above the hill, and a symbol of mermaid the sea princess is resting nearby, the architecture isn't impressive though. Delicious seafood, cold breeze, broad sandbank, blue water, fresh coconuts, playful tides, all at one place. Like getting so many discounts in just one shopping spree, and I'm sure to take this kind of tour at another time also.